Into the Water

This is a very short story that I wrote awhile back for an assignment in University and haven't decided if it needs more or if I can leave it where it currently is

Submitted: August 02, 2018

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Submitted: August 02, 2018

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“Papa it hurts.” A small sickly
thin girl croaked while holding her torn, bandaged and bleeding sides. A helpless man watched as his little girl lay dying on the rickety wooden bed in front of him and tears started to flow from
his eyes.

“I know little
lamb, I know.” He kneeled next to her bed and held her small fragile hand. “Don't be scared, Papa, is here.” He smiled through his sadness when she looked at him.

“I am not afraid to die Papa. I am
afraid that you will be lonely.” Her eyes were filled with tenderness and love.

Her father smiled, “Don't worry about me
little lamb, I will be fine.” He stated laying his head on the side of the bed.

To be truthful though, the man was
emotionally spent. The Plague of Shadows had ravaged Andonias, his once beautiful, luscious and thriving country without discrimination. Sadly, his daughter was not the first family member he had
to watch suffer its clutches.

When the creatures first broke loose
from their centuries old tomb, his wife was the first fall into the chaos and madness they caused, and their two sons died trying to save her. The population of the country was cut to less than
half in three short years. The streets were no place to be, as they were full of nothing but the smell of decaying flesh and were stalked hourly by the horrible shadow-like creatures in search of
their next meal. These creatures roamed wherever they pleased feasting on what seemed like an unending supply of dead flesh.

“Papa?” Her voice called him from
his thoughts, and he looked up into her fading blue eyes.

“I want to see the water again. Can you
take me there? I know that I don't have much time left, and I want to see it one last time.”

He wasn't surprised by her question,
rather he wondered why she had not asked sooner. All her life she had a deep love for the sea and a fascination for the creatures that called it home. Although he was a king, he was a fisherman at
heart and held a deep respect for the ever-changing and sometimes unforgiving tides.

“Of course my little one.” He slid his
arms under her porcelain-like body, and brought her head to rest against his chest. She was 16 years old and yet she weighed only a little more than when she was seven. He smiled at her, a smile
which she weakly returned.

As soon as the sweet smell hit her, a
content smile stretched across her face. “Thank you Papa. Can I go in the water please?”

Her father nodded and set his dying
daughter down in the water. The fish gathered and carried her until her lower body was submerged in water and she rested her head on the lily pads whose vines created a tie to the shore while she
floated.

“This is where I met my first friend,
did you know that?” She spoke softly.

Her father shook his head. “No I did
not, little one. Who is this friend that you speak of?”

A smile lit up her face. “When I asked
him that he told me that he has many names, and that I could call him whatever I wanted to. I called him Xavier, he seemed to like it. He disappeared about a year before the shadows came. I miss
him.” She looked thoughtfully out at the water.

Her father stood there shocked at what
she had said. Had this friend been imaginary? Or was he something more?

“Papa, thank you for bringing me here”
she tilted her head to look at him, and smiled.

“There is no need to thank me my little
lamb. I love you too much to deny you this.” As he spoke tears began to gather in his eyes once more.

The moment was broken by the sound of
someone running up to them. They turned to look at the new-comer. It appeared to be a young man no older than 18. His eyes were an unnatural bright blue and he had sharp angled cheekbones that
added an intense beauty yet masculine strength to his features. His short black hair was damp and tousled like he has just come from swimming and he wore normal clothes. The smudges of dirt
on his cheeks and the sweat on his brow softened the intensity of his features somehow. The young girl’s face lit up at the sight of him.

“Xavier! Where have you been?” She asked
happily. “I’m glad I get to see you before I leave!” She spoke accepting the fate of her death.

“Y-y-you weren't supposed to get hurt!”
The words burst from the man’s mouth, and he fell to her side as tears began to flow from his eyes. “I am so sorry! This many innocent people were not meant to die! But I had to kill those who were
evil. They were corrupting the entire land.

The girl’s father was confused. “What do
you mean you had to kill?” He then took notice of the once calm waters that were now thrashing dangerously, the grey waves now smashing the shore and the sky becoming a dark menacing mixture of
black and grey clouds.

Xavier looked at him. “I am the God of
the Seas. This country used to love and respect the waters, but now they abuse and destroy it. All they do is for their own greed and I had to put an end to it. The other Gods agreed and we were to
set out a plan, but those things are not what I had in mind. This many people were not supposed to die, least of all you.” He reached over and cupped her delicate face in his large
hands.

“Xavier, it’s not your fault, please
calm down. If this is my last day, I want to spend it with you.” Her voice was so quiet that it was almost drowned out by the crashing of the waves against the shore.

The black-haired God smiled. “Of course
I will stay with you, until your last breath and long after that. For you are my beautiful and precious Charlotte.”

True to their words, her father and the
God stayed by her side until her last breath slipped through her pale lips. At that moment a great sadness took hold of the God of the Seas, soon this sadness became an unquenchable, unforgiving
anger. Xavier vowed that he would never love another, for although she was just a human, Charlotte opened up his heart and allowed him to see the beauty the human world had to offer. He would
find a way to bring her back even if it cost him his dying breath. Through time his storms became more violent and his sightings terrifying and brutal, never a soul left behind. The once loved and
gentle God became feared.